Fuel-delivery apparatus



H. C. SUEKERT. FUEL. DELIVERY APPARATUS. Fl 1.50. Nov. ,4. 1 919.

4 swears-SHEET 3 31mm lwho/c mm2 .0 @uw Jan. 23, 1923.

H. C, SUEKERT FUEL DEL VERY APPARATUS Fl LED Nov. 4 191 9.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4 @MMM www 6MM Patented Jan. 23, 1923.

UNITED lerares PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD C. SUEKEBT, OF NEVIl YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AUTOMOTIVE SUFPLYCO., INC., OF NEW YOFLK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FUEL-'DELIVERY APPARATUS.

.Application led November 4, 1919.` Serial No. 335,648.

To @ZZ whom-it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HAROLD CL SUEKERT, a Citizen oi the United States,and a resident of the city5 county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful .lInprovements in Fuel-Delivery Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specilication.

dy invention relates to devices for automatically delivering uel'frorn asupply tank to an internal combustion engine, and inaking use of apressure pump operated from an engine cylinder.

One object of-.the invention is to provide an apparatus of this sort,which is entirely out of operation except when fuel is required to bepumped, whereby simplicity and long life of. working .parts issecured.-Thisresult 'is obtained' inf accordance with' vthe present invention'b'y-.the `provision` oi means yfor automatically shutting oii" vconnnunication Awith A the engine. v cylinder-y .when -the supply otfuelVdelivered is sufficient-forthetinie being, and fiorl opening up. such.communication when additional -f-ueivi`s "rerpiired,` -Thus theapparatus' is I entirely I lout ici-use when fuelrisnotvv requiredto-`be"}minped. A v Ainother robject'oftheinvention is the pro.- visionyot'a closedY auxiliary -fuelreservoi-r, from which yfuel *isyVdelivered fto the A 'engine under' pressure,1 so' `that 'loss fbyevaporation iSavOided: I

vision of al `fuel delivery conduit, .leading from the' auxil-ia-i.u fincl reservoir, foi such thatsubstantiaily all the inet may beldrawn"ori therefrom. whenI needed,v and tl e provision of" meanswhereby -anysurplus is .ichfget'scinto 'thereservoir.maybe delivered'through the fuel., delivery.. conduit without preventingcthe delivery`ol: fuel..

'.Uther. objects of' myy invention will appear.

in. connection with.. Athe `Itolloiving descrip.; tion ,-oi'the.construction .and operation, 'ot cer tain.einbodinientsot the invention.In the...drawingseforining ai part. (if-.this speci-icati'on, Fig. .1..ist a vertical .sectional view ou. onefrorni'of.device,.embodying myinvention, taken substantially onthe broken linel l-A, .ci Fig. .2.IFi-g.. .Zisa sidef;view, partly-.in central vertiCal'seCtOn.. .Fig. Bis

y secured. to

a horizontal sectional view `tekenen line Pif-3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4c is adiagrammatical view showing the apparatus connected with the engine,carburetor, and-fuel tank of an automobile. Fig. 5 is a front view7partly in section, of a modified form of apparatus, in which a flexiblediaphragm is substituted for the gland or` stuiling box of the formshown in Figs. l to 4. Fig. 6 is a similar view of a furthermodification in which the separate punip piston isdispensed with and thepacking devicey is of large area and is arranged within the skirt ofthepressure piston. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective View or' a spreadingspring for use with the packing shown in Fig. f '.'llhetapparatusis-indicatedvas. a whole-by referencenumeral 1.0i, and may-.beconstructed -n' yvarious ways.y It Amay. be conveniently formed, forexaniplahy casting..frompreferably light material,- such Yas aluminum.`The casting Amay.l conveniently .bein three. .sep a7 rate'pieces,A asshownycon'sisting of the main casting "A, theHlowerhcastingtB, and a,third or backv castingC'.l "-.Thecasting (1f-may .be y etheM principal.casting--A. -by Screws f... .5 The device has a hollow interior to1Vpro-` videa.reservoir..11.for. liquid vfuel, asv gasoline. orwthe.`like.. ...Said hollow., interior 11, also preferably! .receivestheworkingpar'ts, though. same may bepotherwiselocated, if desired...rlfhelreservoir neednot'ibe large, as. the auxiliary A,storage 1 is.required.` onlyv -for short intervals .andthe device. may, .thereiorebefniade quitesniall andl compact.y .The hack` l2. of .the device ispreferably. inade, yilat.A so thatmit .canconveniently, be Y.attachedtoy a support, such .as theA automobiledash D. (The. connection to the.sourceyof .operating presf. sure. is obtained. .through .pipe ,13,shown. COIL;v nected. to. .a .cylinder ofan,auto1nobi le en-` gine, Thegasoline Ior 5other. liquid.. 'fuel isadmitted. through/piped@ and thefuel outlet. to .carburetor v16 is. throughy 'pipe 17. Theliquidfuelisinaintained. under pressure-in the' `reservoir 11 .which is,not. vented to the..atmosphere,.whereby:floss of .fuel-,hy evaporation.`'is prevented., The pressure ramp.,f-Lhereiraterfi referred te serveste maintain the supply of fuel in the reservoir under predeterminedpressure. lVhen the pressure exceeds a predetermined amount,communication with the engine cylinder is shut oil automatically, andthe pump does not operate again until the pressure in the reservoirfalls, upon consumption of fuel, whereupon the communication isautomatically restored and thek pui-np goes into .operation again. Thepipe 13leading from a .source of pulsating pressure, such as found inthe engine cylinder, communicates with passage 18 leading to the annularrecess 19, which ma be formed by cutting-agroove in the adiustablemember 20, screwed into the' castingA an-d locked by screw plug 20', theopening being closed with a plug20. The passage 21 in said member20 isin communication with the annular recess or passage 19 through one ormore holes 21. See Fin. 2. The inner end of passage 2l provi( es an`adjustable valve seat 22` for a needle valve 23, which controls thecommunication With the source of variable pressure.

Means actuated by the pressure of the fuel. pumped into the reservoirare used to operate valve 23. In the Jr'orm shown, a diaphragm 24, ismade use of, and is exposed on one side (the left hand side, as theparts are shown in Fig. 2) to the pressure main tained in reservoir 11,and on the other side thercoic is vented to the atmosphere at 25.Between the vented chamber 26, behind diar phragm 24, and the passage21, the stem of valve 23 is passed through suitable packing means forpreventing leakage about the valve stem. Good results are secured bymaking use of a bored cylinder 27 of graphite to form a packing aboutthe stem of valve 23. This provides a self-lubricating packing, in whichthe valve stem moves readily.

It will be seen* that when the reservoir 11. and therefore diaphragm 24,is under sufficient pressure, the pressure duct 2lv is closed by valve23. The valve seat 22 may be adjusted with respect to valve 23 so thatthe valve will be closed when the pressure vwithin the reservoir reachesa desired point. It-Will be observed that diaphragrnV 24, asillustrated, isv of comparatively large diameter, so that vno greatamount of pressure is necessary in order to close o' 'the valve 23.Usually a few'ounces pressure in the fuel reservoir is suicient for therequirements of ordinary use, as in delivering fuel to theloat valvecharnber of the usual form` of carburetors. Beyond the needle valve 23,passage 28 leads to the pressure cylinder 29,' vvhichcontans piston 30,provided" with'k suitable packing 31. Piston rings may benused ifdesired.` Tov the piston30. is secured the piston rod32. Spring33exe'rts'a.' resilient upward thrust on piston 30. Piston 30 and the)iston rod 32 are reciprocated or oscillate by the combined effect ofvarying presslu'e upon the head of piston 30and the actionot spring 33.As the average pressure exerted upon thehead offpiston 30 increases, thespring 33 is compressed to a greater or less extent, and the `region ofmovement of piston 30 under such increased average pressure is somewhatlower in cylinder 29 than when a less average'pressure is available.viWhen the average pressure acting on piston 30 is reduced, the spring 33raises the piston andit reciprocates higher up in the cylinder, Thereciprocation of piston 30, obtained in the manner described, isutilized for pumping liquid fuel, such as gasoline from a storage tankto the reservoir 11 Where it is immediately available for the carburetorsupply. In the form shown in Figs. 14, the bottom casting B is providedwith a cylinder bore 34 in alignment with cylinder 29, and shown asbeing of about the same diameter, and the piston rod 32 projects intosaid cylinder 34 and serves to actuatey the fuel pump piston 35. Suchpiston may be of variousk forms adapted to move the liquid fueltherewith in one direction of its movement, and when moved in theopposite direc tion to permit the passage of liquid fuel past the pistonto be advanced on the next stroke. In the 'form shown, a. leather cuppiston 3G is illustrated, held between plates 37 and As the piston ismoved upward the liquid fuel is forcibly moved therewith and When it ismovedv down the tuel may flow past the sides of the flexible cup, aswill be readily understood. A check valve 39 is provided for preventingbackward flow of liquid fuel into supply pipe 14. A vent 40 to theatmosphere is provided below pressure piston 30 in order that piston 30may be pressure actuated in an effective manner, and there can be nobuilding up of pressure behind the piston, due to such slight leakage asmay take place past the piston. l

As this exposes the space around the piston rod 32 to the atmosphere, itbecomes necessary to provide' suitable stalling means for said pistonrod 32, which will prevent inward passage of air or outward passage ofthe gasoline or`other liquid fuel being pumped. p stuflingv for thispurpose may be obtained An el'ecti've'form of packing or in the mannerillustrated in the drawings.

4:1 is the outer stulling` box member, having la bottom flange l2adapted to be seated in the recess 43 in the bottom of the main castingA, and 44 is'the inner stuing box member which is provided with a flange45 simi lar to flange 42, and lalso received in recess 43', so that whenthe parts are assembled, theV packing in the intermediate packingchan'lber 46 is compressed somewhat.v rlhe packing in the chamber 46preferably consists of cotton, yarn or the like 47, located between apair ot' preferably conical washers 48, ot` cork or similar material,and adapted to hug' closely about the piston rod 32, and with theinterposed wicking, yarn or the like 47, to provide effectively againstleakage past the reciprocating piston rod 32.

lith the extreme pressure variations encountered in the cylinder of aninternal combustion engine, the piston 30, exposed thereto, is subjectedat times to severe shocks. Means are provided for damping or cushioningthe shocks to which piston 30 and parts connected 'thereto aresubjected, and in the form shown in Figs. 1-4, a ring 49 of cork isprovided and is seated upon the flange 42 of the packing shell 41. Ametallic ring or thimble 50 is provided to support the inner wall ofsaid cushion member 49, and between said members 50 and 41 an annularspace 51 is left which serves conveniently for thereception of the lowerportion of the'piston spring 33. The cushion member 50 serves as acushioning` device against downward shocks, and a second cushioningmember 52 is provided to cushion upward shocks or recoil of piston 30.In the form shown this cushion member 52 is also of cork, and encirclespiston rod l32 between the plate '45v and' piston '35 and reciprocateswith the 'piston 'rod .32" Felt f also makesv a good Acu'shioniiigmaterial 'and when equipped with' cushions of this materialA theoperation of the apparatus is practically noiseless.' i The' liquidfuel," such las gasoline and the like,' delivered by Jpistonf`35, lisdpumped into reservoir 11.'-vln'fthetor'm sh'own'ir'i Fig.` 1',it'is'delivere'dA 'through' the side passage 523 'to'an annular chamber'54 in the casting' B, ufhence it' passes ythrough"openings and provided'int'he 'screw threaded' plug` 57 past the' 'check valve 58, and outthrough "openings '59"*into`t'h`e reservoir 1-'1 The l'screwtlneaded'plug lwitlra similar plug on'the opposite side ol" the device',mavbe used ttor connecting casting' el and E li together ifdesiredl1"Thepressure"control'of the p'uinpi x "apparatus bfywvalfvet 23' hasalready 'been 'de'-A scribe'd, and it will be'fapp 'rentfth'an lie pumpfis' operated, 1 'fuel is "sucked through pipe14,".delivere'd"under:pressure 'to 're er# voi r '11, and 'is availableto supply the 'car-l btvl'r'etorthrough pipe' 7" and th t'when thepressure in`tliereser oir ,'1:y gets 'suilicient'ly high,I 4the valveshut ed by diaifuhragni 24,"an'd the' pumping `stop ped 'untilf some.'ot thegasoline has beenfllsedf'up and th'e pres# sure reduced.I It,shouldbe observed here that more "or" lessai'r' is 'always contained inthereservoir, and of coursefcollects' at the upper part thereof, "sothat by puttingsiidi nir' 'imderpressura 'more 'or less compression ofthe total contents of the reservoir is possible.

However, it is possible at times, as, for example, when the gasoline islow and splashing about in the supply tank, to pump an unduly largeproportion ot' air into the apparatus, and unless provision made to takecare o't' this situation, air, instead ot gasoline, may be delivered tothe carburetor, resulting in stoppage of the engine. This situation istaken care oil by the discharge conduit arrangement shown in Fig. 1. Theoutlet pipe 17 is connected to the screw threaded bored plug v61 whichhas an extension 62 project-ing upwardly into the interior of reservoir11 to a point preferably near the top thereof. Such pipe is surroundedby the larger pipe or conduit 63, `which is closed at its upper end andextends downwardly to its open end at a point near the bottom of thereservoir 11,` as shown at 64, Fig. 1. rlThis provides a simple form ofsiphon outlet Jr'or delivering` `fuel from the lower part of reservoir11. Fuel rises in the annular space 65 around the pipe 62 passes intothe upper end of pipe 62, and is delivered thereby te the outlet pipe17. Once the siphon column is iliorined in the siphon consisting o1pipes 62 and 63, said pipes will remain filled with 'luel until thereserve supply in reservoir 11 gets to be lower than the siphon inlet 64and the reservo'r is substantially "difain'ed. "Provisioi'i is made`for"'conducting'air a'cl ci un ulating in the upperv portion' 'olf thereserl :Voir to theoutlct pipe"ancl"tlelive`iing seme to the'outlet-"conduit to a'v point'be'low lthe vtrom" the interior o', tereservoir Il "lu ltire/*torni shown, airela'tively fenallpipe 66 is'provided forV this pu1pose,"an'd^ extends downwardly `withinp'ipe 62,'to a'point near the bottom 'of plug 61, and'is in `comnuinicaL tion withthe 'interiorv of reservoir 11 near the4 top' thereof',` as by vmeanso't'fdu'cts 67.' llhis pipetfas well as thc' larger or 'out inost'pipe,is' shown i screwed intothe which, with plug veul 'ites'sembly ci therc1 Y e 'o' ippai 'it willjbe an' arent'tlist ufhe'n the liqu n the`reservo l r ets above'.

by the substitution of a flexible diaphragm for the stufiing box orgland. Such diaphragm may be conveniently constructed of leatherimpregnated with material insoluble in the liquid fuel, as gasoline, andadapted to close the pores of the leather or other flexible material.Leather impregnated with Other suitable materials may be used, however.With the use of diaphragm 70, the piston rod and spring construction arealso bakelite may be made use of to advantage. preferably modifiedsomewhat. In the form shown in Fig. 5, the pump piston 35 is attached toa hollow sleeve 71 secured by screw 72 to the pressure piston 30', andthe spring 33 for actuating piston 30 to move upwardly is receivedwithin the hollow sleeve 71, and extends downwardly over a guide stem 73attached to the cage of the check valve 39. Also the cushioning ring 49is placed at the bottom of the pump cylinder 34 instead of being placeddirectl)7 below the pressure cylinder. The center of diaphragm 7 0 isclamped between the pressure piston 30 and sleeve 71, and its outermargin 74 is received under the inturned flange 7 5 of plate 76,received in recess 43, and adapted to be clamped tightly upon themargins of the diaphragm 7 0 when the casting parts A and B are securedtogether.

Apparatus as so far described operates as follows The pressure piston isreciprocated by the combined effect of varying pressure on the topthereof and the spring beneath it. This operates the pump piston anddelivers gasoline under pressure to the reservoir 11. The pressurepiston and the pump piston may work at various heights in theirrespective cylinders, according to the average pressure acting on thepressure piston head, the spring under the pressure piston beingcompressed more or less, as such average pressure varies from time totime, but the cylinders are sufliciently elongated to permit pumpingaction to take place with the varying average pressures available whenconnected to a source of variable pressure, such as the cylinder of aninternal combustion motor. When the pressure in reservoir 11 becomessuiiiciently high, according to the position in which the adjustablevalve seat 22 has been set, the communica tion between the source ofpressure and the pressure cylinder is shut off by the pressure on.diaphragm 24 closing valve When the gasoline runs out to the carburetorand reduces the pressure, valve 23 is automatically opened and thepumping is recommenced. lf an unduly large amount of air should get intothe reservoir 11 in any way, it is discharged through the openings 67and pipe 6G with the gasoline, which passes upwardlythrough pipe 63 anddownwardly through pipe 62; but sufficientair is always left in theapparatus to enable the desired pressure to be obtained by compressionthereof, since when the gasoline rises to the level of the duct 67, onlygasoline is discharged and the remaining air is retained.

With. the construction shown in Fig. 6 the separate pump piston isdispensed with, and the apparatus is constructed to operate as a simpleform of pulsation pump. The pressure piston 30 is provided with a skirtor flange 80 which encircles a relatively fixed gland member, havinglarge wearing surface and consequently long life. As shown said-glandcomprises a pair of faced cups 81, 81 of flexible material such asleather, separated on their interiors by a ring 82 and having theirmarginal portions 83 pressed outwardly into engagement with skirt 80 bythe expansion ring 84 (Fig. 7 inserted therein. The flanges v85 and 85of a pair of apertured metallic cups 86, 87 are held in recess 43, andthe collar or sleeve 88 having a flange 89 is screwed into a threadedopening in cup 86 and holds the composite gland structure in place, theflanged washer 90 being inserted between the upper leather cup 8l andsaid flange 89. A bumper 91 of felt, cork or the like, serves to cushionthe piston shocks on the down stroke, and a similar bumper 92 serves tocushion shocks in the opposite direction, being received within theflanged washer 93, on the piston rod 32". Spring 33 interposed betweenpiston rod 32 and the bottom of cup member 87 serves to thrust the'piston 30 upwardly.

With this arrangement a Vconsiderable amount of open space is providedbelow the piston 30 and above the fuel entering through valve 39, theupper portion whereof is normally filled with air above the liquid fuel,and the pulsations of piston 30 are communicated to the fuel through theintermediation' of such air. The pumping operation differs from that ofthe remaining figures, in that the delivery of fuel to reservoir 11takes place on the down stroke of piston 30". It is to be understood, ofcourse, that the space 94 under piston 30 is vented to the atmosphere,substantially as shown in Fig. 2, so that ba'ckpressure cannot build uptherein. It will be seen that the gland in this construction has largesurface so that wear thereon is well distributed, andfurther, that itisy self-adjusting for wear, the expansion` of the spring ring 84serving to take'up whatever slight wear there is. 4lith the exceptionsnoted above, the operation is the same as already explained withreference to the other forms illustrated Kand described.

It is to be understood that the forms illustrated are intended only forthe purpose of affording a clear understanding of the in` vention, andthaty modifications and changes may beresorted to Within the scope of myclaims without departing from the invention or sacrificing theadvantages thereof.

I claim:

l. A pulsation pump comprising a piston spring actuated in one directionand adapted to be operated by rpulsating pressure in the oppositedirection, means for connecting the pump with the pressure side of thepiston in communication with the cylinder' of an internal combust-ionengine for supplying a source of pulsating pressure, a reservoir towhich liquid fuel is supplied by the pump under pressure, and meanswhereby the communication between the source of pulsating pressure andthe pump is controlled by the pressure in the reservoir.

2. A pulsation pump comprising a ypiston spring actuated in onedirection and adapted to be operated by pulsating pressure in theopposite direction, means for connecting the pump with the pressure sideof the piston in communication with the cylinder of an internalcombustion engine to supply a source of pulsating pressure, a reservo-irto which liquid fuel is supplied by the pump under pressure, andadjustable means vwhereby the communication between the source of'pulsating pressure and the pump is automatically 'controlled by thepressure in the reservoir.

3. A pressure actuated pump, means for connecting said pump to thecylinder of an internal combustion engine for supplying a source ofvarying pressure for operating the pump, a reservoir to which liquidfuel is supplied under pressure by said pump, a diaphragm exposed to thepressure in the reservoir, and means actuated by movement of thediaphragm for controlling the communication between the pump and thesource of pressure.

4. A pulsation pump comprising al piston spring actuated in onedirection and adapted to be operated by pulsating pressure in theopposite direction,means for connecting said pump with the pressure sideof said piston in communication with the cylinder of an interna-lcombustion engine for supplying a source of pulsating pressure, areservoir wherein liquid fuel is pumped by the pump under pressure, andmeans operated by the pressure in said reservoir for controlling theoperation of the pump by shutting off and opening up communicationbetween the pump and the source of pulsating pressure.

5. A pressure pump, means for connecting said pump with the cylinder ofan internal combustion engine for supplying a source of variablepressure for operating the pump, a closed reservoir for liquid fuelpumped by the pump and means operated by differences-in pressure betweenthe interior of the reservoir and the outside atmosphere for controllingthe communication between the source of pressure and the pump.

G. A pressure actuated fluid pump, means for connecting the pump withthe cylinder of an internal combustion engine for supplying' a source ofvarying pressure therefor, a reservoir to which liquid fuel is suppliedunder pressure by the pump, a flexible member exposed to the reservoirpressure, and a valve operated from said flexible member to open andclose communication between the source of pressure and the pump.

7. In fuel delivery apparatus, the. combination of reciproci-ble pumpactuating means adapted to be exposed on one side to a source of varyingpressure, and having its other side exposed to the atmosphere, a springfor moving said means in opposition to its movement under pressure, afuel pump operated by said actuating means, and means actuated by thepressure of fuel pumped for controlling the connnunication between saidpump actuating means and the source of pressure.

8. In fuel delivery apparatus, the combination of a reciprocable pumpoperating member, spring means applied to one side of; said member,varying pressure means applied to the opposite side of said member, afuel pump operated from said member, a closed reservoir for fuel pumpedthereby and from which the fuel is delivered under moderate pressure,and means exposed on one side to the pressure within said reservoir forcontrolling the application of pressure to said member.

9. A reservoir to which liquid fuel is supplied under pressure, and anoutlet conduit therefor extending from near the bottom of the reservoirto near the top thereof and then downwardly.

l0. A reservoir to which liquid is supplied .under pressure, an outletconduit for taking fluid from near the bottom of the reservoir, and anair conduit ext-ending within the outlet conduit and communicating withthe reservoir at the upper part thereof.

11. A reservoir to which liquid is supplied under pressure, a fluidoutlet conduit therefor comprising a sleeve open at the lower end andextending upwardly in the reservoir from near the bottom thereof, and anoutlet pipe extending upwardly within said sleeve and open at the upperend thereof.

l2. A reservoir, means for supplying liquid thereto under pressure, anoutlet conduit therefor extending to near the top of the reservoir, andan enclosure for said conduit having an opening near the bottom of thereservoir.

13.y A reservoir, means forv supplying liquid thereto under pressure, anoutlet conduit therefor, and means for conducting air 'trapped in thereservoir into the conduit at a substantial distance below the openingthereto.

14. The combination of a, uel reservoir,

means for supplying liquid fuel thereto.

under pressure, a Siphon outlet conduit having its opening near thebottom of the reser- Avoir und extending upwardly therein and into thestream of outgoing fuelfvvherebyv trapped air is discharged Withoutinterferinfr with the delivery of liquid fuel. 10 n testimony that Iclaim the foregoing, I hereto set my hand, this 3rd day of November,i919. i

HAROLD C. SUEKERT.

